Padres' Stephen Kolek: Will be stretched out this spring
Rotowire
Kolek will be stretched out as a starting pitcher this spring, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.
All 42 of Kolek's appearances with the Padres last season came in relief and he was a full-time reliever in the minors in 2023, as well. However, the 27-year-old made 25-plus starts on two occasions during his time in the minors, so starting is not completely foreign to him. Stretching Kolek out makes sense for a Padres team that lacks rotation depth, but he's a long shot to break camp as one of the team's starting five. Kolek missed the final two months of last season with a forearm issue but appears to be healthy as camp opens.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Yet to throw off mound
Rotowire
Kolek (forearm) has been playing catch but hasn't yet thrown off a mound, per MLB.com.
Kolek is rehabbing from right forearm tendinitis, but it's not clear how close he may be to a return to the Padres. The righty reliever logged 42 appearances with the team prior to getting hurt, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB over 46.2 frames. If Kolek makes it back to the big-league bullpen before the end of the season, he'll likely take on a low-leverage role.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Not yet throwing
Rotowire
Kolek (forearm) is rehabbing at San Diego's team complex in Arizona, but he has not yet resumed throwing, per MLB.com.
Kolek landed on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm tendinitis July 31. He's eligible to be activated but appears to be some time away from returning given that he hasn't yet begun a throwing program. The rookie reliever appeared in 42 games prior to the injury, posting a 5.21 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 39:12 K:BB while picking up three wins and two holds over 46.2 innings.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Out with forearm tendinitis
Rotowire
The Padres placed Kolek on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to right forearm tendinitis.
The right-hander presumably suffered the injury during his appearance against the Dodgers on Tuesday, during which he allowed two walks over a scoreless inning. Kolek is without an official timeline for his return but will be eligible to be reinstated in mid-August.
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Padres' Stephen Kolek: Nabs victory in relief
Rotowire
Kolek (2-0) earned the win over Boston on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out two batters over two scoreless innings.
Kolek was sharp in the relief outing, throwing 16 of 22 pitches for strikes and recording a first-pitch strike to six of the eight batters he faced. The right-hander has been used almost exclusively in lower-leverage situations this season, picking up just two holds across 33 appearances. Kolek has recorded more than three outs in 12 of those outings and has registered a 4.74 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 32:10 K:BB over 38 innings on the campaign.
